Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-03-31
a SINGULAR STORY.
Catherine Fehlinger Finds Her Parents
Atther Being Separated from Them Twenty
two Years
New York Times

New York Times
The happiest family in all the eastern
district of Brooklyn is that of Jacob Feb
llnger, shoemaker, at No. % Union
avenue.
On the morning of July Is. 1865, pretty
black-eyed, 12-year old Caroline Fehlinger
left her parents home on the corner of
Eight avence and Twenty street.
this city. With her bundle of books and
her d1nner-pall she started for school.
Soon the surroundings began to look
strange to her; she becamed Frightened
and began to cry. A policeman found
her In this plight and took her to the
station house. She said her fathers name
was Falllnger, but she could not tell where
she lived. The directory was consulted
In vain, and as no one cared to claim her
the child was sent to RandaIIs island.
When night approached and no tidings
OF the missing girl came to her home, the
father went to the Twentieth precinct and
informed Capt. Hadden, at that time in
charge,of his daughters disappearance.
Detectives were put on the case and ad-
vert1sements inserted in all the papers.
but no trace of the chile could be OBJ
tanned. Then the search was prosecuted un-
til the savings of life of hard work had
been exhausted, but with no result. AS the
years passed the Fehlingers mourned
their daughter as dead.
The mistake little Coroline had made in
giving her name had made all search in
effectual. After five months on the island
she was adopted by Mr.. and Mrs. Brown.
of Park and Portland avenues, BROOKLYN.
With them she lived until they went west,
when Caroline found employment as a
domestic in the family of Gen. Carl. on
Clinton avenue. Mr.. Carl, took her to
Virginia with his family where thew re-
NAMED for some months. On her return
she left the family and started dress
making establishment adjoining Mrs.
Browns house.
During all these years she had kept up
a steady search for her parents. Five
years ago she married one William III.
Bennett. He proved to be dissipated
man, and she was compelled to leave him.
She then went to live at No. AZ Hall street
with Mrs. Lynch. A few days age she
told Mrs. Lynch OF dream: Il thought
/ saw my parents" she said, sholding out
their arms and calling me. Their hair
was gray. They seemed to be living in
Brooklyn"
That afternoon Mrs. Lynch and Caro-
line called on the step-father of Mrs.
Lynch, Mr.. Richter, a shoemaker, in this
city. Caroline told him of her dream and
asked him to look the directory over.
She said she had always thought her name
was Fallinger. Mr.. Richter found the
name Fehlinger, and told her that was
Fallinger in German. The name of Jacob
Fehlinger was found, and the two women
called at the address, No. % Union avenue.
An elderly, gray-haired women received
them. She was Mrs. Fehlinger. Mother
and daughter were brought face to face,
but did not recognize one another.
"Did you ever have a daughter named
Gardiner" asked Mrs. Lynch.
eyes, but she is dead"
Mrs. Lynch then informed the mother
that her companion was her lost child.
Mrs. Fehlinger refused to believe it. At
ter few minutes pause Caroline said she
remembered that when she left home she
had doll, a dolls bureau, and a set of
dolls dishes. She described them min
Itely. The mother recognized the des-
cription, and the Identification was
enough. Mother and daughter in another
instant we're clasped in each others
arms.
Mrs Bennett. the Caroline Fehlinger of
long ago, was seen yesterday at her
fathers house. She is a handsome
women, now 81 years old. She tells her
romantic story in an interesting way, and
then the mother shows the playthings
which took the place of the traditional
"strawberry.'